Non Technical Summary
Our water, air, soil, farms, and forests depend on birds as vital natural resources. Birds consume insects, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, and maintain wetlands. Unfortunately, power line collisions kill 175 million birds annually in the United States. Installing markers that help birds see and not hit power lines can decrease bird collisions by more than 70%. Today, power linemen use bucket trucks and helicopters to install these lightweight devices on live electrical cables. However, the extreme risk and substantial cost required to install these reflectors limit widespread adoption.Pitch Aeronautics has built a drone that leverages a cyclorotor for precision lateral positioning, wind tolerance, and a unique configuration for placing 5-25 lb payloads next to structures. During the SBIR Phase I research, Pitch Aeronautics matured the drone control system and demonstrated the installation of multiple bird diverters on a cable in calm wind conditions. In parallel, we demonstrated a novel state estimation system that uses several electromagnetic fields to localize the drone relative to a high-current cable in the laboratory. Phase II development will integrate the electromagnetic state estimation system on the drone to provide heading updates and experimentally evaluate electrostatic discharge between the drone and a high-voltage cable. We will develop a wind detection and compensation system and demonstrate bird diverter installations in 10kts of wind. Finally, we will demonstrate bird diverter installation on an energized power line with a partnered utility. Ultimately, Pitch Aeronautics can substantially lower bird casualties with this bird diverter installation drone.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
314	5310	2020	50%
136	5310	2020	50%

Knowledge Area
136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity; 314 - Toxic Chemicals, Poisonous Plants, Naturally Occurring Toxins, and Other Hazards Affecting Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
5310 - Machinery and equipment;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering;

Goals / Objectives
Major Goal:Demonstrate bird diverter installation on an energized cable.Key Research Objectives to achieve major goal:1. Integrateelectronics and state estimation system into drone to provide heading reference next to high-current lines2. Perform test stand testing near a simulated high current line3. Perform free flightfield tests. next to high current test line4. Protect and shield electronics from Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)5. Test component shielding in lab6. Perform ESD testing of drone on test stand7. Perform free flight field tests with simulated ESD8. Perform energized installation with utility partnerMajor Goal:Demonstrate bird diverter installation in 10 kts of windKey Research Objectives to achieve major goal:1. Perform wind sensor integration with drone2. Perform field tests to establish in-flight wind measurement3. Develop algorithm to actuate cyclorotor in varying wind conditions4. Improve model of drone in wind simulation5. Develop control system for drone in simulation6. Perform field flight tests in windy conditions7. Perform bird diverter installations in 10 kts of wind

Project Methods
For objective 1 (demonstration of bird diverter installation on an energized cable), Pitch will perform electronics integration, test-stand testing, and free-flight testing before performing a demonstration on an energized cable with a utility partner.Once Pitch Aeronautics integrates the state-estimation system into the drone, we will perform a series of risk reduction and evaluation tests. First, our team will bring our high-current test line near the drone with the drone motors off (no vibration) and evaluate the system's performance. Next, our flight-test team will operate the drone on the constrained test stand next to the cable and reevaluate the system. This test stand allows excellent flight simulation without incurring any crash risk. Based on our prior experience, this phase of operations will likely identify problems with the system, which we will correct before attempting use in flight. Finally, Pitch Aeronautics will bring the high-current test line into our test field and perform free flight of the drone next to it. Pitch will collect data and each step and make iterative modifications to the drone design as we prepare for the next testing stage.For objective 2 (demonstrating of bird diverter installations in 10 kts of wind), Pitch will perform perform a series of experiments, simulations, and flight tests to increase the drone wind tolerance. The initial experiments will focus on ensuring proper wind measurement. Next, flight experiments will measure the drag forces on the drone and ground force balance experiments will characterize the changes in cyclorotor thrust in mean wind. These will be combined in a model-based flight controls development process culminating in flight in 10kts of wind.To evaluate our progress in accomplishing these two objectives, Pitch will collect data from lab and field tests including flight control data, video, and photographs, showing the drone's ability to perform installations in 10kts of wind and on energized lines. We will also invite utility and industry stakeholders to observeour finalflight demonstration live. This data will be shared with utility stakeholders to educate them on drone capabilities to safely perform bird diverter installations and installations of other drone-deployable line components.